Rift splitter



Patented Feb. 23, 1926.

UNIT n: stares;

DE AWARE: I

RIFT SPLITTER.

Applicationzfil'edoApril :13,

To all-whom it"may concern;

Be it known that :VVILLIAM G; HAGMAIER',.. a CltlZGIldlOfithG United-States, residinggatr NVest :Allis, in; the county .of Milwaukee and State; of Wisconsin, has invented, ascertain new; and useful Improvement. .in. Rift: Split+ ters, of which the;f0llowing,;;is.a. SPGClfiCHm tion.

This invention. relates 1. in.-general wto ims provements in: saw: mill machinery, and-re latesi more specifically to,- improvements =.in the construction and operationzofs-mechanism, especially adapted. for cooperationwith gang saws of the circular type.

An obj eet of. the. invention: is... vtosprfovide spreader. mechanism .cooperable-with circus larasaws and the .like,.which is simple in .;con-- struction and: efficient: in operation a It is common. .practice' 1 in 1 operating 1 saw; mills, tofirstzsawialogpinto cants ofrelativee. ly greatthickness, andgto subsequentlysaw these: cants. into boards. :ofqdesirable. .thick-. nessswith the aideotiaa'gang ofr.@saws.-. The. gangs of saws ordinarily employed. for. this. purpose, :are ofxa circular" type, each; saw. beinggpreferably supported. from an :arbor... by means of a collar. It has alsoibeen found; desirable in the;operationeof gangl saws to provide spreadermeans for separating the adjacent boards and. for: preventing these. boards from engaging the sawblades, these; spreader mechanisms being. ordinarily) termed riftasplitters?' The present invention has. for: its object to provide improvements in rift splitter DQ663112.

anisms which;will efi'ectively. prevent the boards from binding against the sawblades andpwhich will notinterfere with desirable; adjustments. of 'thei sawsp.

A, clear conception: of an. embodiment: of; the invention and of the.operation of devices; constructed in accordance. therewith may be: had by referring to thedrawingE accompanyinguandforming .a part of'zthis specification in. which like reference charactersadesignate the same or similar pants ZlIl; the several. views,

Fig. 1 is a top view of a gangofz-circularc 1922;; SeriaLNo; 552,159..

Fig-.: 2:;is. a ipart-sectional side; elevation .2

,ASSIGNQR To Armscnnmunns W sconsin, A oo-meonncrron -01"- saws some ofjwhichare-laterally ;adjustable:2 wh1le0thers are not, all of thewsaws being;-

of a. gang saw i'machine showing detail'sof,

the saw.- and rift f splitter. adjusting; mocha? nlsm embodied in theumachine.

Fig.3): is; a fragmentarysectional end views of 5 an; improved r ft splitter," or spreader.

mechanism.

The .sawing Inachineg specifically. illustrate:

ed in theg'sdrawing, comprlsesa" main frame. 5 having-bearings .18; associated;therewithyaa horizontal saw; arbor. 4 -.=rotatably. supported'g.

in the bearings 18; a gang oicircularsaws .2 i rotatably. supported concentric.- with -theearbor. 4; by. means of saw;..coll a-rs a115, asplura-lity of'feedirollersfi 'for' conveying timber-Ato ward;andraway fro1n,th.e saws 2', -and;-spread.- er" mechanism associatedqwith: the saws Thecsaws 2 shown-ingthe uppervportion of.

Fig. 1,:. are laterally slidabler or. adjustable" 170 Fig. 1.; are rigidly .secured's-to thecarbor 4 iin,-. any sultablemanneras by; meanswofionea-or. more keys. coactmg with then saw: collars. The saws .2; shown'..in;-the glowergportioncof -.75 along. the arbor. 4 by virtue of. one; 01:. more splines. 251' or. similar connections. ibetweenithe-- saw supporting collars 15' and the arbor 4:... The rift splitter mech anism. formin-gpart of-the =presentainventioncomprises:twoiseries;

ofzi-splitter or spreaderrblades i3; 13,;of-which: the blades. 3 are. locatedi rearwardlyx of and;

are. adjustable simultaneously with: thexlate erally. movable. saws .2, while the bladessl x are located: rearwardly: of and; are adj uste ably fastened in alinementwitlrthe laterally.- lel 'to the. arbor .4. The. spreader; blades. 13:. ares-rigidly attached to bearingsyll) by- 'means-e ofxbrackets 22, the bearingsclS);being; later-s ally adjustable galon'g, V'gu-ide rods 10. rigidly;

mounted in the .fra-me5: andexten'dingtparal lelito the armor l; The spreaderpbladesld. are-rigidly. attached tohubs20 which ems bracethe rear guide-rod 10 ancl:;wl1ich .are. locked": to this guide rod sby means of: set:

screws or other lockingv devices. The.

spreader blades 3, 13 have their upper extremities connected by means of tie rods 16 and are properly spaced apart by spacers 21 embracing these tie rods. The lower portions of the spreader blades 3, 13 are likewise connected by means of tie rods 17 which are embraced b spacers 21 for properly locating the bla es in alinement with their respective saws 2. The lumber delivered from the saws 2 passes through the spaces between the adjacent splitter blades 3, 13 and the tie rods 16, 17 and is thus prevented from binding against the saw blades.

The parallel guide rods 10 are preferably located on opposite sides of the vertical longitudinal plane of the axis of the arbor 4, and the bearings 19 which cooperate with the guide rods 10 are interconnected by means of a laterally shiftable saw and splitter adjusting frame 7 The end portions of the frame 7 rest upon parallel supporting guides comprising channel bars 11 rigidly attached to the frame 5, and the medial portion of the frame 7 is formed to engage an end recess in the saw supporting collars 15 of the laterally movable saws 2. A cap 26 pivotally secured to the adjusting frame 7 permits quick release of the connection between the frame 7 and the laterally movable saw collar 15. Mounted in the lower portion of the frame 5 and extending transversely of the saw arbor 4, is a saw and splitter actuating or shifting shaft 8. This actuating shaft 8 is provided with levers 9 located closely adjacent to the respective guide rods 10. The upper swinging ends of the levers 9 are connected to the laterally shiftable bearings 19 by means of adjustable connections 14. The forward end of the actuating shaft 8 is provided with an actuating lever 12 having a latch 23 cooperable with a stationary locking segment or plate 24 for locking the laterally movable saws 2 and splitter blades 3 in adjusted position.

During normal operation of the machine, the saws 2 are being rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2, and the material which is to be sawed into boards is fed past the saw blades and through the spaces between the splitter blades 3, 13 by means of the feed roller 6. As the sawed material leaves the saws 2, the blades 3, 13 enter the saw cuts and prevent the sawed material from binding against the saw blades. The splitter blades 3, 13 should be in perfect alinement with the adjacent saw blades and adjustmentthereof to insure such alinement is readily permitted. In the case of the laterally immovable saws 2 and splitter blades 13, the supporting hubs 20 are adjustable along the guide shaft 10 in order to insure proper alinement of the saws 2 and blades 13. The laterally movable splitter blades 3 are likewise adjustable to insure alinement with the adjacent saws 2, by virtue of the adjustable connections 14.

The laterally adjustable saws 2 and the splitter blades 3 are moreover simultaneously 'shiftable to vary the gap between the two sets of saWs 2 and splitter blades 3, 13, by virtue of the adjusting shaft 8 and the connections associated therewith. Upon release of the lock afforded by the locking plate 24 and the locking latch 23, the shaft 8 may be rotated with the aid of the operating lever 12 to cause the levers 9 to swing in the desired direction of adjustment. Such motion of the levers 9 is transmitted to the connecting bracket 7 through the connections 14, causing this bracket to move along the guide rods 10 and the channel guides 11 and to simultaneously move the interconnected saw collars 15 and the splitter blades 3. The movable saw collars 15 carry the adjacent saws 2 with them, while the splines 25 permit lateral adjustment of the collars without interrupting the driving connection between the arbor 4 and the saws 2. When the desired lateral adjustment of the saws 2 and splitter blades 3, has been effected, these elements may again be locked in position with the aid of the latch 23 and the plate 24.

It will be noted that by supporting the adjusting bracket 7 on opposlte sides of the vertical longitudinal plane of the arbor 4, a rigid support for the adjusting bracket 7 is secured. The adjusting mechanism does not interfere with normal operation of the saws and the saws may be readily released for replacement by virtue of the cap 26 and the removability of the bracket 7. The entire mechanism is simple and rigid in its construction and is readily attachable without alteration, to most of the standard gang circular saws.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and of operation herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination, an arbor, a circular saw, a collar supporting said saw for movement along said arbor, stationary supports located on opposite sides of the vertical plane of the axis of said arbor, a guide rod located adjacent to the side of each of said supports remote from said arbor, a saw shifting frame engaging said collar, said frame resting on said supports and slidably engaging said rods, means for moving said frame, and a splitter rigidly associated with said frame in the plane of and closely adjacent to said saw.

2. In combination, an arbor, a gang of circular saws, a collar supporting said saws for movement along said arbor, stationary supports located on opposite sides of"*the vertical plane of the axis of said arbor, a guide rod located adjacent to the side of each of said supports remote from said arbor, and beyond the peripheries of said saws a saW shifting frame engaging said collar said frame resting on said supports and slidably engaging said rods, means for mov- 10 ing said frame, and a splitter rigidly associ ated with said frame in the plane of and closely adjacent to each of said saws.

In testimony'wh'ereof, the signature of the inventor is affixed hereto. 7

WILLIAM G. HAGMAIER.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified/that in Letters Patent No' 1,574,423, granted February 23, 1926, upon the application of Villiam G. Hagmaier, of West Allis, \Visconsin, for an improvement in Rift Splitters, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 8, line 6, claim 2, after the'word arbor strike out the comma and insert the same to follow after theword saws in line 7, same claim; and that the said Letters Patent should he rezfd with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of April, A. D. 1926.

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

' Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

